Cougar Soccer advances to Regional Championship

On Tuesday night, the Lansing Catholic Soccer Team was hoping to get out to a quick start and set the tone for their Regional Semi-Final match v. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard. Sophomore Jack Gonzalez fulfilled that hope with a quick goal off a redirected Remy Collard free kick. Barely three minutes into the game, Collard fired a shot that was deflected to Jack Gonzalez at the top of box, who calmly fired a shot into the upper ninety, giving the Cougars an early 1-0 lead. The Cougars controlled the entire first half and were able to keep the Irish from scoring on their few counter attacks.

But the Irish would not go down easily. They took it right at the Cougars for the first twenty minutes of the second half, but with the athleticism of goalkeeper Matthew Benivegna, and his staunch defense of Mike Hollis, Robert Ramierez, Matthew Plaehn, Jack Scrimger and Alec Gonzalez, the Cougars were able to withstand the Irish’s barrage and resume control of the game. With just under two minutes to play, Alec Gonzalez found his brother Sam Gonzalez on the wing, who drove the net, sending a nifty cross over to a wide open Jack Gonzalez who buried the shot for his second goal of the night, clinching the game with a 2-0 victory. The shutout is Matthew Benivegna’s eleventh on the season.

The Cougars face the Grosse Ile Red Devils Friday, October 28th at 6:00 PM at Williamston High School for the Regional Championship. The winner will advance to the Final Four in the state. Come out and enjoy a great match-up and cheer your Cougar soccer team onto victory!